Machine for reenforcing and punching sheets



May 18, 19487- l H. G. KENDALL w 2,441,821

MACHINE FOR REENFSRCING'AND PUNCHING SHEETS v Filed March y5.1, l1942 lI. g A #il i A .a z

z V124' 22 wifi Ein 47 t I r 5 'Inventor Har gld [L Kendall 7 attorneyatentecl May 18, 194g MACHINE FOR REENFORCING AND PUNCHING SHEETS HaroldG. Kendall, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner of one-half to George H.Fritzinger, West Orange,

Application March 31, 1942, Serial No. 436,949

` 4 claims. (o1. 93-1) This invention relates to machines forreenforcing and punching sheets of material such as paper sheets, cards,tags, cloth strips, etc., and more particularly relates to such unitarymachines of the character mentioned as are adapted for applyingreenforcing patches or strips of adhesive tape to such sheets and forpunching the reenforced portions of the sheets, all in one operation.The invention has especial utility, and is herein illustrated anddescribed, in connection with a machine for reenforcing and punchingpaper sheets for loose-leaf binders, but it will be understood that Iintend no unnecessary limitation of my inventionto machines of thistype.

My invention is concerned generally with improvements in machines of thecharacter abovementioned which are adapted to simplify the constructionand operation of such machines and to render them more practical anddependable. In these respects, a particularly special feature of myinvention lies in theprovision of an improve-d and simplerfeed mechanismfor the reenforcing material which is operable dependably withsingle-coated adhesive tapes of the non-drying type, these tapes beingknown in the trade as pressure sensitive adhesive tape or Scotch tapes.

There is a wide selection of Scotch tapes on the market which are strongand tough and ideally suited for reenforcing paper sheets for loose-leafbinders. While these tapes have the distinct advantage of being capableofibeing applied directly to the sheets Without any auxiliary orpreliminary operations such as are required with the dry andthermoplastic tapes, yet the Scotch tapes have not'been usedsuccessfully because of the diiculty in feeding the tape to the Work. Inmachines of the character concerned, the tape is to be fed out in asingle layer for direct application to the work. Because of the smallridigity of the tape and its characteristic of adhering tenaciously toWhatever comes in contact with its adhesive or gummed side, it isnecessary that the feed.

mechanism be able to feed the tape to the Work Without making anysubstantial contact with the gummed side of the tape. In accordance withmy invention, I am so able to feed out a single layer ,of Scotch tapefrom a continuous supply roll, for

direct application to a paper sheet or other article, and to do this inVa highly simple and reliable manner. However, I do not intend myinvention to be restricted Aforv use in connection with only Scotchtapes as it may have also advantageous and practical application withother kinds of tapes.

Y, It is accordingly an object of my invention to 2 provide a machine ofthe character above-mentioned which is adapted for eicient and reliableoperation with single-coated non-drying adhesive tapes as thereenforcing media.

It is another object to provide a simple and reliable means for pullinga non-drying adhesive tape from a supply roll and dispensing it in afree state.

It is another object to provide a simple and reliable means for feedinga non-drying adhesive tape from a supply roll without incurring anysubstantial contact With the gummed side of the tape.

It is a further object to provide an improved feed mechanism which isoperable dependably in connection with any of various kinds of adhesivetapes.

It is a further object, in a machine of the character above-mentioned,to dispense a reenforcing tape to a paper sheet by means of a pin Wheelwhich takes hold of the tape yby piercing or puncturing the tape atregular space intervals, and then to punch the sheet and tape, when thetwo are applied together, at a place where the tape has been pierced bythe pin wheel.

It is another object, in machines of the character mentioned, todispense an adhesive tape by a pin wheel and to shear reenforcingpatches from the tape by cutting the tape on a line substantially at aplace where the tape has been pierced by the pin wheel.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved machine forthe purposes above statedl which may be readily actuated Aeither topunch a sheet only or both to reenforce and punch a sheet, as theoperator may desire.

A yet further object of my invention is to provide a simple and improvedmeans for sequentially dispensing an adhesive tape across a sheet at aclearing distance therefrom, and then applying the tape to the sheet.

Still other objects and features of my invention will be apparent fromthe following description and the appended claims.

In the description of my invention reference is ha-d to the accompanyingdrawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a machine into which my inventionis incorporated, the side plates of the machine being partially brokenaway to permit a better showing of the interior parts of the machine;

Figure 2 is a horizontal plan and sectional view taken substantially onthe line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a' fractional View taken substantially on the line 3 3 ofFigure 1;

3 Figure 4 is a partial sectional view to enlarged scale takensubstantially on the line 4--4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a view showing a modied form of feed wheel for the machine.

In Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a machine constructed in accordancewith one "embodiment l of my invention, whichconstitutes 'a unit adaptedfor applying a reenorcing strip of Scotch tape to a paper sheet,severing the strip from its supply roll along the edge of thersheet andpunching the part of the sheet which is isofieenforced, the function ofthe machine being to provide the sheet with a vreenrorc'e'dapert'uredthe unit to a suitable base not shown. 'The housing may be considered asconstituting a lower rectangular part and an upper rearward vpart foiwhich the 'latteris 'enclosed by 1a 'side plate 5 held :to the flangesY3 by 'screws 6 and the 'lower part is enclosed by a rectangular sideplate 1 which is deta-chably held to the lower flanges Y3 by springclips 8. This lower part of the housing `forms a support for a vtableSIat'theFfront of the unit. It is on this table that apaper sheet .is tobe placed when the same is to "be-operated upon by the unit. Overlyingthe table, however, is a-lat upwardly 'inclined spring lll which isadapted to space the sheet initially from the springvbe'ing riveted tothe fc'rw-ardLpart of the ltablet) as yat ld.

A 'supply' roll -|l --of Scotch l'tape lis carried in lthe housing belowtheftabl'e -9 yon ashort post I2 secured to thehou'sing section `Lftheroll bei-ng held'onto the post byfathumb scr-elwfl2'. fAccess into thehousing .for installing the nroll #is had by Vdetaching the Vside 'plateg'.l. For piilling the tape from the roll, 'andlfeedin'g 'ittotheypa-per sheet, Vl2 provide simply a fpinwheel W3 which {is journalledVto the housing, rearwardly Vof the supply rollyon Va shaft M. -ThisL-pin wheel -has `anged rims 'l 5 and a-'serles oficirciimferentially- Y"alignedproj ecting pins YI {iiwhi-chare spaced: about 'the periphery ofthe Awheel at `intervals equal vto the length of eachstrip of adhesive`tape,iorr'patcnV that'istobe applied to Ythe-paper "sheet, the pinsbeing suitably ordinary store rpins ywhich are anchoredinto `the bodypf'the wheel. The vadhesive tape `is pulled 'free `from *the supply Vroll'i0 and onto the wheel atth'efbottom thereof, with its gurnmed oradhesiveside away from'th'e'wheel, 'a'nd'is carried about the wheelt'o'tletop thereof, the tape being puncturedand held Vtothe Wheel bythe'pins lil. Since thefp'ins are'sharp, a rotation ofthe wheel willcause th'emito pierce 'the tape consecutively a'ndY maintain acontinuous connection of the tape 'to ythe wheel so "long as there'is asmall lresisting `force of the tape such Y as is provided by theVadhe'renceo the Scotch tape to its supply roll. At vthe vtop of 4'the Ipln wheel there is providedas'h'rt Vhorizontalplate ;l1',`which isplaced preferably in' engagern'nt'with the periphery of the wheel..Thi's "plate is-eX- tended substantially tangentially 'from the wheelat a level slightly above the table 9, and is provided with a centralnarrow slit I1 through which the pins i6 pass. By means of this platethe tape is stripped from the pin wheel and guided 5 forwardly below thelevel of the rearward part Vofthe spring Ill, with its adhesive sidefacing upward for =application"to-the :paper sheet.

It wlll'be seen that the pin-wheel 'type of feed which I provide for thetape is a particularly -ffo -s'imple yet reliable means for pulling asinglecoated ,non-drying adhesive tape from a supply 'roll 'and feedingit, in a single layer and in a 'free "state, to a sheetror other articlefor direct application thereto, VThe reliability of operation 'bf this-feedmechanism follows largely from the fact that it involves nosubstantial Contact with the adhesive side Vof the tape. Yet the pinwheel is psitively'actingfor it rrnly takes hold of the tape :sol-longas a suitable number of pins, as of 20 four or more, is maintained inengagement with vthe tape. Althoughthe tape has Alittle rigidity, -itcan be readily `stripped froInU-the pin wheel :and projected 4forwardlyacross the yplate ifi-in suiicient -free lengths for the ,'.purposedesired.

25 Alsofthe free tape -strippedrfrom lthe-pin-wheel has a downward biaswhich causes it yto .sl-ay nat into! the Aplate l lY and. toY be :thus veasily controlled, thisjbiasing ofthe tape being caused .by the sharpbend which the tape receives at vH as it =is pulled 30 yfrom the supplyroll. While the feed-mechanism involves piercing theutape at regular`intervals, this doe'srlotsmaterlally weaken the tape since thepins i6maybequite `short-to 'produce only short tears. In any oase, inVaccordance with the .present invention, `I preferably blank out thepuncturedwpart of each reenforcing patch in -thepunching of lthe papersheet, thus lleaving the tape Whichis-applied tothe sheet ina `whollyundamaged state, as -will 4hereinafter appear.

:adhesive tape as will herein-after appear, this `40 E01' :applying thef'f'apeto thepapeshee'and iperformingrthe shear-ingandlpunchingoperations, there is 4provided a punch and die unit --I 8 of thedouble-'action'type thatis, the type wherein the punch. elementis-movable-relative to therespec- @45 tive i'die plates.- This V,unit4has an lupper Vilat Idie 0 dricalfpunch-ZZ. This 4:punch"extendsupwardly beyond Vthe-tube fand? is held retracted in :relation to'fthe`"die 'plate i9 by a-co'rnpression 'spring -23:whichisiinterposedbetween a shoulder 1240' ron v4tl'iefendoffthe "tubeand arshoulder 22 =onfthefend -ls 1a pin andfslotarrangement,:generallyreferred vto fas 22.4, which fdenes the retracted J.positionVl of thepunch and :permits a downward VTn1overnent of 1thelpun'clri relative totheldiep'latl'e.V

ithef'blockll iisla' ilat depending -spring f 6 'lwhich fis biased[forwardly to bear -slidably against a lrarwar'd 'bevelled A-edge i9 fof'-the 'die 'plate EIS. l'Iliis-at springlls vi'providedvvith'y alcentral-window ffio ing-the tape laterally and preventing 'it ffromcooperate with the rearward edge I9' of thefdle as the upper die platevis pressed downwardly; these edges are accordingly made sharp, and thedie plate I 9 and spring 26 are made of hard stock.

Because of the inclination of thelower edge of the window, the strippingplate I1 is given a twist so that its front and back edges will be inline respectively with the cutting edge 21 and with the periphery of thepin wheel. Y

Below the level of the cutting edge 21", as at a distance of about leinch, there is a rectangular stationary die plate 28. This die plate ismounted on the rrearward part of the table 9 directly below the upperdieplate I9, and is made ofhardened stock and provided with a circularopening 29 to receive the punch 22. Below the die plate 28 there isVprovided a compartment 30, formed by one of the flanges 3 and by aninterior .web 3| of the housing section I, for catching the diskswhichare blanked out by the punch and die unit. This compartment isopenable at the side merely by detaching the side plate 1 of thehousing.

The spring I aforementioned extends rearwardly short of the lower dieplate 28 but has two rearwardly extending ngers I0, one to each side ofthe die plate 28, which underlie the opposite end portions of the dieplate I9 (see Figs. l and 3). When a paper sheet is to be reenforced andpunched, vit is inserted between the spring IIl and the upper die plateand pushed rearwardly until its rearward edge contacts Athe spring 26.The feed wheel is then turned to feed a strip of adhesive tape below thesheet across the lower die plate, and the upper die plate I9 is thenpressed down. As the die plate I9 is so pressed, the spring III yieldsto the downward pressure thereof and the paper sheet is moved down intocontact with the tape, the spring I0 clearing the lower die plate andcoming into a position substantially fiat with the table 9; also,themovement of the die plate I9 past the cutting edge 21" of the spring26 operates to shear the tape on a line with the edge of the sheet, butno part of Ythe adhesive side of the tape, other than the Very cuttingedge I9' of the die plate, comes into contact with any part of the punchand die unit. Furthermore, upon applying a suitable pressure to thepunch 22 as the dies are closed, the punch will enter the opening 29 inthe lower die and blank out a disk from the reenforced part of thesheet, leaving the sheet with a reenforced apertured part by which itmay be firmly held in a loose-leaf binder.

The pin wheel and the punch and die unit are operated by a hand lever32. This lever is secured to a shaft 33 whichis pivoted to the upperpart of the housing in bearings 34 and 35 provided on-the side walls 2and 5. Pinned to the shaft within the housing is a rearwardly dependingarm 36; this arm abuts against the inner face of the bearing 34 to holdthe shaft from length,- wise play in one direction, the shaft being heldfrom play in the other direction by an abutment collar 31 which isprovided on the outer end thereof. Pivoted at 38 to the end of the arm36 is a depending pawl 39 which operates in conjunction with a ratchetwheel 40 that is secured to the side of the pin wheel, the ratchet wheelbeing provided with as many teeth as is the pin wheel with pins I6. Thispawl is biased forwardly, by a tension spring 4I connected between thepawl and the arm 36, into a position definedv by the abutment of an arm43 of the pawl against the underside of the arm 36. Pivoted to the shaft33 adjacent to the arm 36 is a rock lever 44 having rearwardly andforwardly extending arms 45 and 46. This rock lever is biased clockwiseby a tension spring 41 connected between the lever and the housing, andis held inra limiting position defined by the abutment of a screw 48 inthe arm 46 against the underside of the top flange 3 of the housingsection I, the screw 48 being held in adjusted position by a lock nut49. This arn'i 46 has a pin and slot connection 59 to the punch 22. Inthe rearward arm 45 there is provided a short lateral pin 5I whichoverlies the armr36 and which, in response to the bias of the rock lever44, serves yieldably 'to retain the vhand lever against the downwardforce of its own weight in a raised lintermediate position, which is theposition it occupies normally as is shown in Fig. 1.

A detent 52 is provided for holding the pin wheel from travel in areverse direction. This detent is pivoted at 53 to the side wall 2 andis held in engagement with the ratchet wheel 40 under the influence of atension spring 54 connected between the detent and this side wall.

When the hand lever is raised from its normal or intermediate position,the pawl .39 is rst impinged against the ratchet wheel and then cammeddown over a tooth thereof, the pawl being turned about the pivot 38 andpressed against the ratchet wheel by spring 4I as the hand lever israised. As the hand lever is next returned to normal position, theratchet wheel is advanced by an amount of the angular dis- 36 impingesagainst the arm '43 of the pawl and turns the pawl unitarily therewithabout the shaft -33 and out from engagement with the ratchet Wheel, theratchet wheel becoming again latched against reverse travel by thedetent 52 as the pawl is disengaged. This step of advance of the ratchetwheel causes a strip of tape to be fed between the dies equal in lengthto the arcuate distance between adjacent ones of the pins I6.

Upon next continuing the downward travel of the hand lever below itsnormal position, a downward pressure will be applied to the punch 22through the arm 36 and lever 44, and this downward pressure will betransmitted by the spring 23 to the upper die plate I9. The spring 23 ispreferably made suciently strong so as not to yield substantially by theforce on the'punch required to overcome the resistance of the spring I0and to press the die plate I9 past the cutting edge 21" to shear thetape. will remain retracted relative to the die plate I9 until this dieplate engages the lower die plate 28, but will be pressed down into theopening 29 `of the lower die plate upon the application of a it belowthat position, a sheet which is held on the spring I0 `between the dieswill be applied to a strip of the adhesive tape, this strip of tape willbe severed from its supply roll and a. hole will be punched through thesheet and reenforcement. When the hand lever is released from downposition, it will be returned to normal position` by the spring 41 andthe punch will ybe stripped from the sheet by its retraction under theiniiuence of the spring 23. v

As typical values, the length of tape fed out between the dies by onestroke of the hand lever may be 1% inch, which -will also be thedistance of spacing between adjacent pins I6. Also, the tape maybe 1/zinch in width, and the punch 22-may be 1A inch in diameter and belocated tance between adjacent teeth and lthen the arm Thus, the punch

